Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11tv Commission on Military National Public Service CSPAN January 27, 2019 4:58am-6:20am EST
4:58 am
year we will hold formal public hearings in which we will vet some of the potential policy recommendations and hear from policy experts. but we will also reserve a portion of that time to collect public comment in person at those hearings. again, i want to thank you all for your interest in this very important topic. please follow the commission, not just at our website, but also on our social media, which is inspire to serve u.s. we encourage to you stay if you'd like for the follow-on event where we will have two panel discussions that will delve a little bit more deeply into some of the potential policy recommendations. thank you and have a good day. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019]
4:59 am
>> good morning to everyone, thank you for joining us for the rollout of the national commission on national and public services report. i'm the chairman of the commission and we appreciate you taking time to be with us. with the passing of harris clifford who many of us knew i know it is a somber day. senator woolford served his country in the white house, peace corps, pennsylvania state government, the u.s. senate and as ceo of the corporation for national and community service. he believed service should be the common experience an expectation of every american and he will be deeply missed. i would like to take a moment to it knowledge the current partial government shutdown.
5:00 am
the irony of releasing a report that speaks in part to encouraging more people to seek a career in public service during the midst of a shutdown is not lost on us. some of you in this very room or perhaps watching on facebook, social media, might be furloughed and waiting to return to work. others are working to deliver needed government services every day without pay. we know some of our stakeholders and partners were unable to join us today given that they are furloughed and we look forward to briefing them once the shutdown ends. to the 800,000 federal employees currently affected, the commission is thinking about you during this time. we know it is not an easy time everyone you to know we are discussing the impact these kinds of developments have not just on you but on the americans who served. we know there are individuals with a great desire to serve our
5:01 am
country who feel their contributions are not appreciated. there are others for whom political developments such as the shutdown are just another barrier making it harder for them to serve or discourage others from considering a career in public service. we have these americans in mind as we discussed potential policy recommendations. andre thinking about you one thing we ask of you is not to lose the drive that led you to a career in public service. before we get started i would like to take the time to it knowledge a few people. thank you to every american who is serving or who has served our nation in any capacity. our thanks go out to you and your families for the sacrifices you make for our communities and country. thank you to the house armed services committee and senate armed services committee for the existence and
5:02 am
making this all possible. thank you to those whose commitment to service have proven incremental in bringing it to the forefront of public debate. in our first time nations history a commission was tasked to hold -- the holistic league review the selective service system. it is a historic opportunity. my fellow commissioners and i understand the broad and inspirational mandate and are honored to equip the nation's decision-makers with policy recommendations that will strengthen american democracy. we are committed to a bipartisan approach to answer essential questions on service with which the commission was tasked. a year ago we launched the commission publicly and we are happy to be able to release our interim report a year later during the week that kicks off with the martin luther king day of service. dr. king once stated life's most
5:03 am
persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others. this question gets to the very core of the commission's mission . we ask all of you to reflect on that important question not just today, not just next week, but always. to answer that question is to it knowledge the importance of service, the impact it has on our country, our neighbors, and ourselves. service creates a sense of unity and it is a way to overcome divisions in society. you can serve in your local community or serve your country, regardless of what you do both offer an opportunity to engage with individuals you might not have otherwise engaged with. america is a nation built on .service we saw this with volunteers supporting u.s. troops during the revolutionary war and in the 19th century we saw the emergence of faith-based groups launching several important
5:04 am
organizations including the ymca, the american red cross and united way. we have seen how firefighters and volunteers in national service programs have helped our communities through the california wildfires. individuals from across military , national and public service helped our communities and country through hurricanes harvey, irma, annamaria. how does that tie into the work that we are doing on reviewing the military selective service process? historyeen part of our history and what it means to be an american. we are ready to -- or worth 1, 2 and vietnam -- world war i, world war ii and vietnam. the selective service system was
5:05 am
created to create a pool of potential inductees for combat. you don't hear much chatter about the selective service system today although the system is very much in place even though we have not had a draft since 1973. for some of our younger americans the draft might be something they hear their family members discuss or they reference to a scene portrayed on a television show this is us. both are important to understand and critical to our work. over the course of the last year the commission has conducted extensive research. we traveled around the country to all nine census districts, 24 cities, towns small, cities large, and met with over 300 different organizations to listen and learn about ways to encourage more americans to be inspired and eager to serve. we met with elected officials, government employees, academic experts, rank and file service
5:06 am
members, members of faith-based communities and business and nonprofit leaders. we learned that while service is encouraged throughout our communities and country unfortunately there is no widely held expectation of service. the country of more than 329 million people, the ordinary potential for service is largely untapped. millions of american citizens volunteer and engage in service every day get there's more we can do. more ways to participate, more ways to embed service in the fabric of civic engagement. generations the represents -- generation z represents huge potential if we can encourage a greater number to serve. additionally 48 million people rh 65 or older comprising 15% of the total population. this is a growing source of untapped potential. today's seniors are not retiring
5:07 am
in the same way that there ancestors did. suggests there are health benefits for seniors to engage in community service. during our first year we also service is a ongoing .onversation selective service is a mystery withny and often conflated the draft as one in the same although they are two very .ifferent events that military service is borne by the view. less than one half percent of the u.s. population currently serves in uniform. almost two thirds of the american population are not even qualified for military service. that national service is america's best-kept secret. we don't hear the media talk much about the great programs that are being implemented in
5:08 am
communities around the country. the public service personnel, we mentioned with the shutdown facing significant barriers and that civic knowledge is critical to democracy and a springboard to public service. you can find this and more in our interim report. as we work to develop the recommendations we will share with the american people throughout final report to be released hopefully no later than interim report will show where we are one year into this journey. it is important to the commission to be transparent about what we have learned and we are where headed. for us this is a next step in fostering a robust conversation on options that the commission is considering and how service can strengthen democracy. today's event, every american inspired and eager to serve kicks off this conversation that we hope to have throughout 2019.
5:09 am
we have two panel discussions that will cover what we have .earned in our first year how to cultivate a universal expectation of service, whether the selective service system requires modifications to meet the demands of the future and some of the policy options we are considering for our final report. after each panel we will it the legacy of individuals who championed service. forill share what is ahead 2019 and the commission. when you checked and you should have received a comment card throughout the duration of today's meeting please write any thoughts or ideas you would like to share with us. to kick off the first discussion i'd like to introduce our moderator, a well-known radio personality to those inside the beltway, host of drivetime on the federal news network. [applause]
5:10 am
ok, mike and we will get the first panel appear. are these microphones running? and you all have one in your seats. good morning. great to be here. i first met joe heck a few weeks ago at the presidential rank award event but in december and i feel it we are old friends now. angst of the magic of digital technology his voice is on the beinges this morning interviewed by me and here i am sitting here. make sure you tune in later. it will rerun this afternoon. this is a topic that is very close to me having covered government in one form or another for the past 27 years out of a 41 year career so i really like this topic and i think there is rich material in what this commission has done. vice chair mark
5:11 am
gearan. khazei, sean alan haveey -- these people impressive careers in academia, research, it is all in the handout and i encourage you to read more about them. i'm going to throw the first .uestion to vice chair gearan mark, talk about the idea of universal service. what it means in the context of what the commission is doing and what we can learn from it. address the idea of paid service and volunteer service as i think both components are part of the work you have been doing. >> thank you and thanks to everyone for joining us. i see a lot of friendly faces and folks who have been part of service movement for some time.
5:12 am
we thank you for coming. just reinforce what our chair said, to build on that, to be here at the time right after harris wofford's passing is poignant but perhaps wonderfully an opportunity to once again honor his service and i don't think any american more fully encapsulates our mission of military, national come and public service from the peace corps to see ncs, university administration to state and federal service in the military. he was a champion of service. we frame so much of our comments and so many of us worked with harris were fortunate to have done. it frames a lot of it. it frames universal service. harris would only say this common expectation. the question would be asked where did you serve. thread through a lot of our work. as the chair said we been around
5:13 am
the country listening to people in an active research effort on the part of the impressive commission staff and what comes .cross to me are two things the demand for service. as a former college president i can attest the man that exists among this generation. they want to make a difference. they are idealistic. pragmatic idealism. they are looking for ways to make a difference. our job is how do we broaden the awareness of the streams of service that are out there? how do we make recommendations and policy ideas to resource and support those opportunities that could be more robust? how do we break down the barriers that exist? we all know we live in divisive times and for many of us i think we've seen the experience of service. when it makes a difference.
5:14 am
to our charge, how do we develop .his ethos of service many of us believe this commission offers an opportunity . what service has meant individuals, what it is meant in the collective domestically, through efforts like americorps or teach for america or the peace corps and what it has done globally. that domestic dividend of what best we have to give a shout out to the peace corps director here. a fabulous peace corps director. what it has meant domestically -- our charge is to tap that demand. to shine the light on that and someso bring a clarity and recommendations to bringing down these barriers. i think americans would be heartened to know more americans want to serve. i think they would be discouraged to know we are not fully honoring all those young
5:15 am
americans raising the hand wanted to make a difference. the reality is we are having to say no to those people who have raised their hands. >> what about the idea of national service that would be upoluntary? that idea comes every generation or so at least once. >> we are looking at all of those questions and this is an interim report so there's the document will show across the spectrum. campusesions of hat on , when you put the man did -- the word mandatory before anything, particularly younger americans, it is not our best marketing effort. mandatory, would there be a expectation? we provide the kind of access that americans would really think at some point that they would not be the outlier if they
5:16 am
were in service. that everyone would be thinking of ways to do that. that is the aspiration we have. >> thank you. i'm inspired somewhere with all the family moves and relocations and homes -- somewhere my draft card is in a box. i have to see if that still exists. i came of draft age through the year they ended the draft but i was also number 324. you have to be old enough to remember that. let's go to you, having built a career on trying to connect people with national service. the report says national service is america's best-kept secret. how did that come to be and how can we change that? i guess the underlying idea of the commission is that more awareness would equal more people serving. >> thank you tom. thank you all for showing up. i want to start by echoing everything mark said about harris wofford, who was a dear
5:17 am
mentor and role model and inspiration for me. passedoetic that harris on martin luther king day because among his many achievements in the service world he worked very closely with karen scott king and congressman john lewis to actually make martin luther king day a day of service for the whole country. we really stand on his shoulders . i think i speak for my fellow commissioners when i say it has been a privilege for us to serve on this commission. we have really seen the best of america. we traveled across this country and the great news is the spirit of service is alive and thriving. we went to iowa and we heard about the power of service to be the connective tissue for smaller communities. communities that are not large enough to have a boys and girls club or a ymca but one full-time servicemember can turn a church
5:18 am
basement into an afterschool program. we heard from and triple c members deployed to puerto rico to do disaster relief, working in heart conditions 18 hours a .ay we heard from older americans who want to continue to serve through senior core and other opportunities and continue to get back. today's boomers are not retiring the way our parents and grandparents did. in chicago we heard from opportunity youth with the school system had failed them. they found of service programs and they became the leaders and role models that they were meant to be. in denver as our chairman mentioned, high school students who had a graduation requirement and they said that it was one of the best things they did in high school because they discover their gifts to give back. in boston we heard from young people who served side-by-side
5:19 am
in different backgrounds and what it meant to walk in each other shoes and gain the empathy we need in our country. the good news is this works. it is powerful and impactful. as mark mentioned, six to percent of young people don't know that service is an option for them. explained what a service your program does code-5 percent of young people say they would definitely do it. 31% say they would very likely do it. so the desire is there. what can we do to fulfill that potential? as our chairman said this is the first time a commissioner has looked at service collectively, military national public service. we need to build off of that and knit a better system together. 70% of the patriotic young americans who volunteered to serve in our military are turned away for various reasons of being ineligible and applications to go in the trash
5:20 am
bin. why don't we have been referred to the peace corps? .ecause they want to serve when it comes to opportunity youth we heard they want to serve. the living stipend is not enough especially in higher income areas, higher cost living areas like san francisco or new york or los angeles. we have to look at the benefits for service. we need to look at and recognize there are connections. were veteran programs military veterans who come home and have already done service, 3, 4, 5 tours in iraq and afghanistan still want to serve so they do civilian programs. we met americorps members who volunteered to the military. we have to make a better connection. we have to look at the impact of the benefits and how we, all of us, i believe there is a role
5:21 am
for government taxpayers to fund these programs but other institutions can play a role. we heard about employers for .ational service hundreds of companies that have now said we will value a year of service if you apply to work in our company. imagine if every company in the country did that. universities are doing innovative things in terms of valuing service. imagine if every university said the year of service we will put you in a different pile as we look at admissions. there's so much we can do. what we've learned in our first year this is a powerful idea and i think we all feel the urgency to seize it and figure out how we take it to the next level. >> your enthusiasm for this is evident. i wanted to ask a follow-up question that occur to me while you were speaking. the county where i raised my kids and i guess all of the counties they have a service hours requirement for people to go through high school.
5:22 am
what qualifies on getting the signoff is a pretty low bar. i've signed some of the forms myself. do you think with greater federal involvement in all of the areas of service record trickle-down quality wise to state and local jurisdictions such that the high-end type of service that you been talking about could maybe upgrade what .hey do >> north high school. you, jeanine. our college president from denver. it was the federal government that told him to have a community service requirement. with met with a group of young people and they set the .tandards and they make it work for service to be impactful it does have to have quality. it does have to have certain
5:23 am
-- again i don't think the federal government has to set that. there are talented people all over this country that can do that. i believe there's a role for the federal government, role for state and local governments. the private sector, the university community. this is something that is fundamentally american and if we are going to reach this potential every sector of society has to engage. and frankly step it up. >> steve, you get the next question. an awareness question about military service. i was thinking of you the other day. one of the crossword puzzle clues is be all that you can be. i forget what the question was but that was the answer. the report found that there's a lack of awareness for the idea
5:24 am
of military service which is a little surprising given that the nation has been at war for 17, 18, 19 years and this topic is on the news at some level every day. tell us what the implications are. >> it has been interesting as we look at the way the nation response to our all volunteer force. wonderful men and women who serve. we are grateful for this service . the analysis service in many ways but sadly service in the military has become a tremendous exception. it is not the rule by any means. less than 1% of the american population is currently serving in the military. .hat was not always so when we think back to the experiences of the greatest generation and how america responded in a time of national wasat military service
5:25 am
something that brought together people from all over the country . people learned to work together, to serve together, to count on each other. with the transition about 45 years ago to the all volunteer force our nation moved away from conscription and we been using volunteer since then. the result of that has been what some folks have described as being a military civilian divide. we have a group of people who serve and serve wonderfully in the military and we have a grateful nation who recognizes their service. thishallenge is as successful all volunteer force process has continued it has deepened the divide. seee travel, we begin to there's a lot more that can be done. really ase, currently a result s and changes in demographics as well as
5:26 am
geography we have seen tremendous transition in who is actually serving. about half of the enlisted members of the military came from america's south and west. today the numbers close to 70%. military members join because someone in their family is in the military for many. it has become a family tradition if you will and there's nothing wrong with that. we've seen issues in terms of how popular culture portrays military service. and play watch movies video games and all the action involved in that come away perhaps with a view of what military service is that is not accurate in terms of what the current requirements are of military service. that is something as a nation we can do a better job at. when i and traveling around with these tremendous commissioners i get the privilege to serve with
5:27 am
and i talked to a young woman who says i really like for my kids to consider military service but i just can't see them as being a trigger pull er. i think our answer as a nation to folks with those concerns is there's very few occupations that exist in the civilian sector that are not represented in our military and our military needs these whether you are a health care professional, an engineer, interested in information technology, our nation requires superb well-trained people to serve in those positions in the military. and we train them and work for their education and it would be terrific to get more participation from that. as my colleague alan said, the other challenge we have is a 70% of youngabout americans are not eligible to
5:28 am
serve in the military. some of it has to do with medical qualifications, some has to do with a-day are. some of it has to do with issues like drug usage and other things . is important as a nation that we understand what the capabilities are that our nation needs. people who serve in the military do have to meet certain standards that are important and we have to acknowledge that. related to what keeps our military the best that we can possibly have. >> the possibilities are really vast. whose son, id remember when he was a gawky kid with funny red hair and grew up butnot only joined the army successfully navigated ranger school. so when he came back to the religious institution i know him through i looked at him in this totally different light. you're not that little kid with
5:29 am
big ears anymore and he was truly a warrior so it can happen from this part of the country no less than anywhere else. sean, you get the unhappy question today as we meet on the 33rd day of this unfortunate situation our federal government and society finds itself in. do you think this shutdown will -- this interim report is sad on a day like this but is this a short-term thing question mark will he idea of public service recover from what we're watching this month? >> thank you, tom. i found it ironic when i saw your piece labeled ironic last night in preparing to be on this panel. there was a great rock song in the 80's, you don't know what you've got until its gone. it's a two-sided coin to this story of the shutdown. so much of the coverage has been
5:30 am
on the impact upon them and their families lives through the loss of their salaries. at the same time there's been some coverage of what it is and i have found it unfortunate that there are some pieces that have made their way into the national media where some folks are expressing --why do we need these folks? of the not felt the loss services because many are still working. having just recently been a airportsthrough the and those unlucky tsa agents working without pay. some of the most extreme moments of my life were shared with air traffic controllers. those folks are serving every day without pay. roles that those
5:31 am
folks play. the aircraft inspectors that ensure that the folks at the airlines are keeping those aircraft's safe. -- aircrafts safe. many out there are making sure that our railways and seaways are safe and up to standard. folks in the climate sciences and in the weather sciences out there making sure that we know what is coming and prepared for what is coming. those folks serve our nation every day. and if there is perhaps a silver found, it is to understand that these folks do real things for us all of the time. i hope that becomes a part of a. then a strange way, shutdown has increased awareness of public service and increased
5:32 am
the value of public servants in the eyes of people that may not always realize how much service they get from public servants every day. -- iwas just a astonishing thatust astonished to hear people are out there doing their jobs but now they cannot do their jobs because their vehicles do not have tires or they cannot collect evidence. it is not just what they do but how they are enabled to do the job. it takes the entire system to function. resourced ande supported. training is going unfulfilled. we have to method of just how andious these skills are maybe a gun that could be a silver lining after the situation is resolved. ofi became a personal fan
5:33 am
transportation and the faa in particular having been airborne on a cross-country flight on 9/11. it did not get widely reported but i wrote a column that day as well that they managed to land at a given moment 6000 aircraft. they landed them all within 80 or 90 minutes safely. that was one of the great unsung heroics of 9/11. and you did not just fly any old plane. a c-130. just a s3 viking. i was the navigator. i knew where we were going. >> i am glad there are people like you because if it were up to me, we would be in a lot of trouble. is a question i have wanted to ask the most.
5:34 am
there is a civics education crisis in this country. and a column i had today mentioned the old jay leno video where he would walk outside of the studio and do the man or woman or child on the street and no one had heard of george washington, no one knew how many stars were on the flag or that there were 13 colonies. tell us more about how we can change that. and not just change the knowledge about the facts of the government, there are three branches and they do this that or the other. but the philosophical underpinnings that made this country great. the idea of opportunity. king george loomed large in the minds of the founders. should that also be part of civics? >> thank you for that question, tom. when we set up this commission, all of us who are passionate public servants in many thatrent areas jumped in
5:35 am
we want every american inspired and you gird to serve and then we stopped for a moment to say, does everyone feel that way? why is this important? we talk about the barriers to service. one of the barriers is awareness. issue is the deeper one which is the value of it to our society. tocqueville said we were a nation of joiners and that is what made our nation so strong. we always talk about people getting out to help veterans. but there was a veterans group out helping the tsa people. that is what we do in america. we chip in and help out. that is one of the things we saw all year long going around america. but there was another piece which is sort of decline in civic education and knowledge.
5:36 am
that -- we zeroed in on at the core, we need to reinvigorate that. we saw some pockets of excellence like the north high school in denver. studentsarned that that have opportunities to engage and to learn about civics are more likely to vote, less likely to dropout, and they are four times more likely to engage in civil society after they graduate. --what caned also the federal government do? there are pockets of excellence there also including projects. experiential learning. where you not just learned about how many branches of government learning but project where you go out into the community as a cohort and you
5:37 am
take on a project. those kinds of opportunities can be categorized in a lot of different ways. they can be done by high schools but there are other areas. at the end of the day, we are a federal commission. k-12ducation, especially is locally run in this country. what are the linkages? how can we inspire that to happen? it is at the core of what we do. >> i want to tell you about my eighth grade teacher, back then high.alled it junior she was a civil war buff. she talked civil war to us if graders from the beginning of the school year until the christmas break. half of the academic school year. this is some 50 years ago and i still remember it. a punt to the battle of gettysburg she wore a gray hat and then she switched to the
5:38 am
blue hat when the union began to win. i remember getting a much more new ones -- nuanced understanding of the civil word than you would normally get. by the time of christmas, we said --can't we stop with the civil war? and she said, are you kidding, we have not even tackled battle strategy. our time the end of here and we have another panel to go. you have been a great audience. applausene more set of for these great commissioners. [applause] janine you are next. next. >> take your time. >> thank you, thank you, everybody. i am honored to represent the
5:39 am
commission. just last month, we honored the passing of george h.w. bush. he was a strong leader that believed service could unite america. and decorated navy veteran a dedicated public servant, he embodied the vision of the commission. every american eager and inspired to serve. he was the first president to establish a white house exclusively charged with voluntary community service. his commitment to service long after his presidency through points of light, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that celebrates the power of service and mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. among all of this, president bush created the daily point of light award. for individuals making a difference in our community and our country. he once said -- any definition
5:40 am
of a successful life must include service to others. here the commission we could not agree more. we could not inc. of a better way to honor president bush this --ning then with a president than with a presentation of a daily point of life o award. we know these individuals. talent,ng their time, resources, and voices to strengthening our democracy. the individual you will hear more about in a second has done just that. in president bush's words, they are ordinary people that reach beyond themselves to touch the lives of those in need bringing hope and opportunity, care, and friendship. introduceleasure to jennifer lawson, a civic innovation officer at the points of light to the stage to give us the honor of introducing the individual that will reduce -- that will receive the award
5:41 am
today. ?ennifer, would you come on up [applause] jennifer: thank you, dr. davidson and good morning, everyone. thank you for that warm introduction and the wonderful tribute to president bush. and his legacy of service. and we will add to that today that his passing of course was sad and coupled with that today lawford,day of harris has reminded each of us of the importance of voluntary service to this country and to the glue that helps build the civil society that we all so desperately want to in this moment. here withonor to be you and with the national commission on military and national service this morning. as we all continue to work to find use your ways to help people engage in civic life. president bush created the daily
5:42 am
point of light award in 1992 honor every day doing extraordinary things. since it's inception, we have given this award each weekday to these most astounding individuals and the award has now spread to the united kingdom as well where the prime minister's office gives a daily point of light award and the queen herself is a weekly point of light award to one citizen in each of the commonwealth countries. it is an idea that is spreading. to presents my honor the daily point of light award, alvie.6439 two stephanie we full threat of service all imagine when we gather for the commission today. she has a passion for positive youth development and recognizing the importance of working with young people to bring about their strengths, provide mentorship, and to inspire them. her service started with
5:43 am
americorps. she served not far from here in hagerstown, maryland working on stem education in minority and low income communities. she has now taken that service to a job in baltimore as a fellow working in low income and minority communities to really engage them in learning. but she is being rewarded today and recognized as a daily point of light for her volunteerism with the kids foundation. it provides low income youth the opportunity to provide -- to play a variety of sports free of charge. each paid participant as an adult sponsors a free child participation in those services and it is there that stephanie
5:44 am
does her work. as a volunteer, she supervises, supports, and encourages kids to pursue theirty and passions. her organization continues to theirs she works to grow program and utilizes connections thehe community to benefit organization and the community. [applause] >> please welcome our next panel.
5:45 am
moderated by christina wong. anothers give stephanie round of applause. quite an inspiration. [applause] of military and public service is especially interesting for me. i was one of the young people that was not aware of military service. i wish i had signed up. vietnamr served in the war and still i did not know of the opportunity. hopefully, we can change this. we are discussing the selective service system today. the other half of the commission. for this discussion, i am joined by chairman joe heck at the end.
5:46 am
lard,ssioners ed al jeanette james and debra. let us get started. first question is for ed. is a lot of confusion about the difference between the selective service system and the draft. what thealk us through selection service system is as the former deputy director of the selection service system? think i will give you an overview by explaining to you when i was appointed by president obama to the position, i was approached by my friends on capitol hill. senior elected officials and appointed officials. i understandd me, you just got an appointment, what will you be doing? said, thank you, i will be the deputy director of selective
5:47 am
service. and everyone said --are you going to be guarding president obama? [laughter] that islitely told them the secret service that does that. but as we traveled as a commission route the united states we were confronted -- states, wethe united were confronted with that influence of misperceptions about the selective service. you are right. there is a small perception that there is a difference -- that there is no difference, i'm sorry, between selective service and the draft. nothing could be further from the truth. selective service was established in 1917. the selective service is not a part of the dod. it is not a part of the dod. --is an independent
5:48 am
independent agency that reports directly to the president. the main service, thing it does is maintain a by which we register young men 18-25 years of age. that is a requirement by law that all young men between 18 register. the draft itself, as you know, today.applicable it is not happening today. the last time the draft was used was 1973. young men are registered at this point of 17 to 25-year-olds on average. they register with selective
5:49 am
service to about 90%. one of the interesting points of that is, we are not real clear as to whether they understand exactly what they are registering for when they reject -- when they register for selective service. we need to carry that message more precisely to that age group and in closing, what i would say is as we go around the united states it is really shocking to realize the number of young men that do not understand that they are required to register and we need to increase that message a bit more. thank you. , what werefollow up some of the things that you heard from the younger folks about selective service? were they aware of it? honest with you, there
5:50 am
are a number of ways that young men are registered with selective service. a lot of them find out when they apply for a pell grant. before they can get their educational financing, they have to register and get a number. it was kind of interesting that we did a little bit of analysis to find out where they got their basic information. i am from los angeles, california. if you are a young man 17 years of age and you receive a letter from the federal government that says, open me. what do you think most 17-year-old or 18-year-old young men might do? who do you think might open that letter? mom. exactly correct. and a lot of times it is the the mom that gets the young man there to register. had to openrtainly
5:51 am
a lot of missing mail for many years. whether we should have the selective service at all is a huge question. how is the commission approaching that? >> the commission is looking at whether we still need it, and if we need it, how should it change? at if it should be maintained and should we include women? know, it is a large question. americanoking to the public for its input and we have heard a lot from individuals and we continue to seek input. the other issues we are looking at is whether we should include
5:52 am
special skills to meet the future needs of national security. another factor we are also looking at is should we look at volunteers? is there a way that we can increase the number of volunteers in a time of national emergency? and finally, what do we do for those people that may not or could not serve for religious or moral objections? those are the things we are looking at on the selective service side and from the commission's point of view, whatever we look at, we want to make sure that whatever process comes out is if we have a selective service system is that it is fair, equitable, and transparent to all americans. commission looking at whether the system should be abolished? >> we are looking at whether it
5:53 am
is still needed. >> what are some of the things you have learned about the need for a selective service? >> the recent national defense strategy commission came out with concerns about the ability of our nation to meet the needs of a large-scale confrontation in the future. but can we do this in a way that may not need a registration system? whether iting at could be constituted at the time. though.e difficulties very light questions. jeanette, deborah mentioned critical skills. as we talk more about the
5:54 am
possibility of cyber workfare, are there critical skills needed for that? what things might be needed to address that? >> thank you for that question. mentioned, the selective service system was established in 1917. that is over 100 years ago. so much has changed since then everything from the way that wars are fought to the ways we communicate. we do have to think about what are the skills we are going to what are the skills needed now in the wars we are fighting? skills we wille need in the future prosecution of warfare? we are looking at ways to identify or individuals to their skills, and
5:55 am
education are. we are looking to see if there would be a way to identify your skills from cyber to yet unknown skills. 100 years ago, ciber was not something we thought about. as we sit here today, there will be skills needed in the future that we cannot anticipate. we are looking at and assidering whether or not either part of the selective service system or as part of a parallel system that individuals can register and identify what their skills are and perhaps used for either a call for volunteers, if there is a particular skill needed at a particular time, the system can be called for that skill set or folks could offer their skills
5:56 am
as particular issues come forward. >> do we think more young people would be interested in a potentialfor cyber conflict if they could put their skills to use? heard as we we have have gone around the country, there is an interest in volunteering. i think you heard from the previous panel that sometimes there is a lack of understanding of what the military does today and the breath of skills -- breadth of skills involved in our military services. as people learn more about it they would be more willing to volunteer. tom, question to you. we know some people are not in favor of the selective service system. what are some of the concerns you have heard from people in the field on that? >> great question. as we have gone around the country and discussed these
5:57 am
topics, we have met with a lot andnterest and in -- enthusiasm and it is inspiring. meetingsad town hall and met with a lot of people and to see the enthusiasm for americans serving fellow americans, it is inspiring and it gets you out of bed in the morning. along the way we have heard some concerns and objections. we have putthat those concerns into categories. -- in two objectives. for the draft resisters, these are people that believe that ,onscription for service especially military service, is a violation of their rights. and that there is no remedy in the law for these concerns that they have. the second category of people, the conscientious objectors, our folks that have moral or
5:58 am
religious concerns. informs themnce that military service and armed conflict is something they should not participate in and they would say that registering or participating in these violates their conscience. and do not want to do that. within that group of people, there is another group that says, well, i am willing to serve my country and i want to serve but i do not want to do that in a military or armed capacity. we have an alternative service program so if we were in a draft situation and young men were being called up under today's law, they would go to the alternative service program and be given an opportunity to participate in six broad categories of alternative service so they could fulfill their obligation. thosee you heard from
5:59 am
that are in favor of keeping the system? >> we have heard from them. they would make the argument that selective service -- on a few levels. it is a low-cost insurance policy. you have millions of young men registered. they serve as a support system, if needed, for the all volunteer force that we have today, the greatest military in the world. should we ever get to the point where we find ourselves in conflict where more human resources and talent are needed, selective service would be there for them. some would also argue that it is a deterrent to our adversaries and that you have that system to be able to call upon people. argumentssome of the in favor of keeping selective service and the objections that we have heard. but i think the thing i would
6:00 am
stress is that whether you have objections to something you see in the report or whether you want to give three cheers for a particular proposal, it is important that we hear from you. when people come out, go to our website, talk to us, it informs our debates and deliberations. it is a privilege as others have said to be able to work with people who take these matters so seriously and consider all points of view. >> over to chairman hacked. eck. this is a question a lot of us are waiting to hear the answer to. women. should women be able to sign-up for the selective service? what will the commission recommend on that? thatank you, christina for and for helping us out on this. it has been a great honor to
6:01 am
meet to serve with these great commissioners. i know you are all waiting on the edge of your seat. will women have to register? i cannot tell you because the commission has not come to an answer. we are still collecting information. i want -- we want to hear from the american public. definitive very opinions on this issue. it is not like when you ask the question that they have to take a moment to reply. they have a very visceral response. i don't think there are many people on the fence when it comes to deciding whether women have to register. the bigger issue is this growing civil and military divide that we have in this country. register,les that
6:02 am
many do not even realize they have registered. this passive process takes away from the gravity and solemnity of recognizing what you are doing when you register for the selective service. intore putting your name the system to potentially be called to defend this nation from its adversaries. when you go to get your drivers license and they say -- check this box. or you are filling out the , they askm, the fafsa you if you have registered for the selective service and you say, no, they take you automatically to register. from peopleng around the country that many people are unaware that women do not have to register. women are prohibited from registering for the selective service system.
6:03 am
a big piece is the continued education of the difference between selective service and the draft. certainly women in selective behind is the impetus the genesis of this commission. we do not want it to be the sole focus because we think the greater discussion of service in america is more important but we still have to answer that question. we have talked to military leaders. the-and-file members of military forces. faith-based communities. the general public. about their opinion and what they would think if women were required to register. why aren't women required to register? here 2-4, the selective service was looked at as a process i which we provided combat replacements. since women were not allowed in
6:04 am
combat roles, the supreme court ruled we could basically discriminate against women and not have them register. in 2015 when all combat roles were opened to women, that prohibition would not necessarily hold valid. and hence, we are at this discussion point. and so perhaps it is a redefinition of what the selective service system is. does itin the statue reference it being eight will for combat replacements only. that was incorporated by congressional intent. and as jeanette talked about the potential need for different skill sets, if the selective service system is modified to at having a ready pool of individuals with a broad and diverse array of potential skills that will be necessary to the nation against
6:05 am
its foreign aggressors, then perhaps the idea of everyone being drafted going into combat takes away from the argument against women registering. this will be i am sure an ongoing discussion throughout the course of the commission next year as we start to develop our policy recommendations. be such we know it will a major point of discussion that at one of our future public hearings, an entire two-day entirely towards whether women should register in the draft. critical -- a critically important question that we will answer. it is the number one charge given to us by congress. but where we will be on that answer is yet to be determined. >> a quick follow up on that. systemselective service stays and women are required to register, how would you get
6:06 am
americans and especially young people on board to this? peopletioned that young like to volunteer and not be told what to do. again, it is how you address the divide that i spoke about. the changing demographics of those that entered military service. i think it all comes down to the overarching goal of the commission which is to create a universal expectation of service. inspiredvery american and eager to serve. every american is inspired and eager to serve, then perhaps there will not be as much of a reluctance to at least registering for a service it beunity whether military, national, or public. -- there will be a
6:07 am
generational shift required regardless of the recommendations we make. this is not a flip of a switch. we will have to lay out a course for congress, the president, and the american people of how we accomplish our vision of increased awareness, expanded access, and greater participation. >> we look forward to hearing the decisions made. please join me in giving our panelists a round of applause. [laughter] turn it overike to to commissioner steve barney who will do us the honor of preventing the next part of the agenda. >> thank you, christina.
6:08 am
i am steve barney and it is my privilege to serve as one of the commissioners. to be asked to reflect on senator john mccain's legacy on behalf of the commission. my fellow commissioners and i express our deepest respect for senator mccain who embodied service throughout his life and advocated for the importance of service in the united states. i had the honor to serve with senator mccain as a professional staff member. for hisever grateful decision to nominate me to be a commissioner. he taught me through his example that there is no limit to service and i am indebted to him for giving me the opportunity to continue my service tourney. as one of the strongest champions of service in the senate, john mccain was the first to make the connection between military and civilian service.
6:09 am
he worked tirelessly throughout his career to strengthen america's defense, to expand national service opportunities, and to encourage young people to offer their time, energy, and resources to improving their communities. we are grateful to senator mccain for his -- for championing this commission. commission -- to break down barriers to give everyone that opportunity. we have a short video to share with you that touches on senator mccain's legacy of service. we would like to thank the corporation for national service for working with us to produce this tribute to senator john please enjoy it. thank you. ♪ >> senator john mccain dedicated
6:10 am
his life to serving his country. a navy pilot, a prisoner of her in vietnam, a congressman and host state loved his of arizona and place ran for president of the united states. he never lost his love for his country. myi fell in love with country when i was a prisoner in someone else's. i loved it not just for its comforts. i loved it for its decency, faith, wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. >> senator mccain believed there was no higher pursuit than to serve a cause greater than oneself. >> if you find faults with our country, make it a better one. work to correct them. armed forces, become a teacher, enter the ministry, run for public office,
6:11 am
feed a hungry child. teach and illiterate adult to read. , for the afflicted. defend the rights of the oppressed. our country will be the better. tohe worked for decades expand opportunities for his fellow americans whether shouldering a rifle, two during a child, or protecting our public lands. he said when you serve in -- he was americorps a tireless champion for our veterans. sought to expand americorps. along with senator jack reed, he created the national commission on military, national, and public service. asked about his legacy, senator mccain said simply -- >> he served his country.
6:12 am
not always right. made a lot of mistakes. but served his country. and i hope we can add honorably. ♪ [applause] >> senator mccain believed service could be broadly and deeply encouraged. if there is anything you remember today, we hope it is that. for every american to be inspired and eager to serve. we ask you to help in joining us in making that vision a reality. i want to make sure that you are all aware of what is ahead for the commission in 2019. we will continue our robust research agenda in reviewing the
6:13 am
selective service system and considering ways to increase or dissipation in military, national, and public service. in 2018 we hosted public meetings and in 2019 we are shifting to formal public hearings. share interim report, we a schedule of the hearing schedule. many of the meetings will take place here in washington, d.c. with two hearings at the george h w bush library in texas and one in hyde park, new york. mark your calendars and share the dates, topics, and locations with your network. in anticipation of our hearings, the commission will also release staff members correlating to our topics. we will share additional information but i encourage you to share your feedback on the policy options listed in these memos.
6:14 am
we will continue our research meeting with stakeholders and experts and listening and learning from the rec and public. the national conversation on these important issues begins with you. wewant to hear from you as continue this dialogue about service in america. as commissioners, we have personal opinions but it is the feedback of citizens across america that will shape the commission's final recommendations. we have heard from many but it is not enough. engage with the commission. thoughts on our website by december 31, 2019, inspiretoserve.gov. or join our conversation on line "inspired toshtag
6:15 am
serve." this brings us to the conclusion of our event. thank you to our moderators. thank you to those here in person and those tuning in on social media for taking time out. um forank you to the newse hosting us today. it is our honor to share our interim report with you today. for those of you that have time, the commissioners and staff will be around for a few extra minutes to answer any questions. minglingorward to outside this room. for those of you that need to move on, we hope you have enjoyed today's event. withan share your comments the commissioners on any aspect of our mission via our website. if you have not done so, please share your thoughts with us and join us in spreading the word. thank you and we hope you enjoy
6:16 am
the rest of your day. [applause] "> c-span's "washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up this morning, democratic pollster ben winston and republican pollster b j martino discuss public opinion of the government shutdown and the 2020 presidential race. and university of arizona law oan talks andrew c about the history and role of special prosecutors. be sure to watch c-span's "washington journal" live at 7:00 eastern. when the discussion. reisch talks about
6:17 am
his book "just giving." >> there are some studies that i quote in the book. maximally generous assumptions that giving to a that itke stanford should be counted as assistance to the disadvantaged. if you maximize the assumption about the percentage of giving most, 30% ofes, at all giving in the united states is in that direction. >> tonight at 9:00 eastern on after words, stephanie lam talks about her path from working as a maid to earning her journalism degree. she is interviewed i rachel schneider, co-author of the "financial diaries." >> bewilderment.
6:18 am
not understanding what was going on. but i also felt very isolated. alone.y and a loan in a way that is -- in a way that was all encompassing. i had nothing to fall back on. learnedthat process i to rely and depend on myself. it was empowering and strengthening but also very hard. weekend onok tv this c-span2. ♪ unfoldsn where history daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies and today, we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme
6:19 am
court, and public policy events in washington, d.c. and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. the united nations security council held an emergency meeting on saturday to discuss the political situation in venezuela where national assembly president juan guido has declared himself the nations acting president. here is a portion of that session. it is about 40 minutes. >> thank you very much mr. president. we have a written text but before that i would like to share some thoughts with you. think mr. mike
34 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CSPAN
Television Archive 
Television Archive News Search Service 
Uploaded by TV Archive on
